The fragmented nature of Android results in some devices being left far behind the pack when it comes to major platform updates. It makes matters worse when the device is carrier-branded because then the carrier must run its own tests on the update before it can be rolled out. That’s precisely what happened with the Moto G4 Play on Verizon. After being stuck on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow for what must have felt like forever to users, the Moto G4 Play is now receiving the Android 7.1.1 Nougat update on Verizon.

The unlocked variant of this smartphone received this update last month so Verizon hasn’t held it up for an extraordinarily long period of time. It’s now rolling out the Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for this device over-the-air.

The firmware update bumps up the device from build number MPIS24.241-2.35-1-17 to NPI26.48-38 and also brings up the security patch level to December 2017. The update brings all of the new features that are part and parcel of Android Nougat which includes granular notifications, multi-window mode, bundled notifications, and more.

Moto G4 Play owners on Verizon should receive an over-the-air update notification in the near future if they haven’t already. The firmware update weighs in at over 1GB so it would be best to download it over a robust Wi-Fi connection.

]]>http://thriveisland.net/verizon-moto-g4-play-finally-gets-android-7-1-1-nougat/feed/0You Will Soon Be Able To Browse Websites In Gmail With AMP For Emailhttp://thriveisland.net/you-will-soon-be-able-to-browse-websites-in-gmail-with-amp-for-email/
http://thriveisland.net/you-will-soon-be-able-to-browse-websites-in-gmail-with-amp-for-email/#respondTue, 13 Feb 2018 22:19:36 +0000http://thriveisland.net/you-will-soon-be-able-to-browse-websites-in-gmail-with-amp-for-email/

AMD for Email will enable developers to create new email experiences that are more engaging, interactive, and actionable. It will let users take quick actions like RSVP to an event or schedule an appoint right within Gmail itself.

The feature will enable developers to keep the information in their experiences as up-to-date as possible so that the content is always accurate when a user accesses it. Developers will essentially be embedding widgets with actionable functions to enable users to browse their sites from within the email. This will let users get more done inside Gmail.

Google has revealed that companies like Pinterest, Booking.com, and Doodle are now working with it to develop new experiences for consumers using AMP for Email. Developers can access the AMP for Email spec starting today and the company says that it will add support in Gmail for this functionality later this year.

HMD Global, the company behind the Nokia smartphones you’re seeing on the market these days, has been quick to release software updates for its high-end devices at least. It has only been a few weeks since the company launched an Android 8.1 Oreo beta test for the Nokia 8. The test has now ended and the company has started rolling out Android 8.1 officially to all Nokia 8 owners.

The Android 8.1 Oreo release for the Nokia 8 was confirmed by HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas on Twitter. He sent out a tweet confirming that the company is now rolling out the aforementioned firmware update to this high-end device.

Nokia 8 is now the first third-party handset to be bumped up to the latest version of Android. Google Pixel 2 is the only other handset that has received said update so far and it’s not surprising since it’s the company’s own flagship smartphone.

The update weighs in at 1.5GB for the handset and comes with the latest February security patch. It’s a minor platform update for Oreo which brings a few visual tweaks, features like battery level indicator for Bluetooth devices, and the ability to continue restoring a backup after the initial setup has been completed.

Some reports have suggested that the company has also started rolling out the February security patch for the Nokia 2 though it’s not something that HMD Global has officially confirmed at this point in time.

It seems like every other day we hear about another website or another service being exploited to deliver cryptocurrency mining malware. This sort of malware is specifically designed to hijack the victim’s CPU resources to mine digital currency thus earning huge sums for those who are behind it. According to a new report, a zero-day exploit in the desktop version of Telegram was recently used to spread cryptocurrency malware.

Security firm Kaspersky reports that a zero-day exploit in the desktop version of the Telegram messaging service was used to spread this malware. The exploit was leveraged to trick Telegram users into downloading malicious files which were used to spread the malware. It mined for digital currencies such as Monero, Zcash, Fantomcoin, and more.

Kaspersky also came across a stolen cache of Telegram data on one of the attackers’ servers while analyzing the servers of malicious actors. It was data that had been stolen from the victims of this malware attack. It then reported the exploit to Telegram which has since fixed the exploit.

Google still has a long way to go before its Pixel smartphones can hit figures that high-end smartphones from the likes of Samsung always do but it’s seeing good progress. Latest data from market tracker IDC reveals that the company shipped 3.9 million units of Pixel smartphones in 2017. It registered a nice surge in sales over the previous year even though the total number of shipments is far below what some of Xiaomi’s mid-range handsets can even bring in.

While he didn’t provide any concrete figures, Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently confirmed during the company’s quarterly earnings call that Google has seen its device shipments more than double year-over-year.

IDC Research Director Francisco Jeronimo tweeted that Google shipped 3.9 million units of the Pixel and Pixel 2 combined in 2017. The original Pixel may have contributed significantly to this figure as well and to the claim of unit shipments doubling than the previous year because the original Pixel was launched in October 2016 and it continued to sell well into 2017. Google launched the Pixel 2 in October last year.

Even though Jeronimo notes that Pixel smartphones have only claimed “a tiny portion of the smartphone market,” it goes without saying that Google has seen some success with its hardware efforts. It’s unclear, though, how many of these 3.9 million units were actually sold to end customers.

The company is now expected to come up with additional mobile devices that can help it effectively compete in this crowded marketplace. Don’t expect a new Pixel handset before the fall, though.

Turns out the rumors were right as LG has since announced the “2018 version of the LG V30” which will come with a host of AI technologies, some of which will be adapted into the phone’s camera as well as other aspects of the phone. This includes features like “next-generation” image recognition that can recognize and analyze objects to recommend shooting modes.

It also includes QR code scanning, initiate image searches, and also provide shopping options. There will also be LG-exclusive voice commands introduced to the phone, where together with Google Assistant, users will be able to ask their LG phones to perform a bunch of commands, such as taking photos and videos.

According to the company, “LG spent more than a year researching how AI should be implemented in smartphones, long before announcing LG ThinQ at CES 2018. This research focused primarily on making AI-based solutions with the objective to deliver a unique and more intuitive user experience, focusing on the camera and voice recognition. The result is a suite of AI technologies that is aligned closely with the needs and usage behavior of today’s users.”

A parenting style that we’re seeing more commonly these days involves giving kids a smartphone or tablet to play with and to keep them quiet. Whether or not that’s a good idea is a debate best left for another day, but it is something we’re seeing more often than not, but it also means it can lead to situations where kids can mess up the settings on a phone or accidentally make purchases.

However thanks to researchers at the University of South Carolina and China’s Zhejiang University, they have actually developed an algorithm that can detect when a child is swiping around on your phone and can lock it down, or prevent the phone from doing certain things like launching work emails, surfing age-inappropriate websites, and so on.

So what kind of algorithm is this? Basically this is an algorithm that detects the swiping patterns of the users. This is because kids have smaller hands and shorter fingertips than adults, which means that they tend to touch smaller areas of a screen, and also make shorter and more sluggish swipes.

By detecting these differences in tapping and swiping, the algorithm will be able to tell if a child or an adult is using the phone, and could react accordingly. At the moment the algorithm has yet to actually be integrated into a phone, but it does sound pretty promising and could see other potential applications, such as being able to detect if the person using the phone is indeed the authorized user or a stranger fumbling around.

According to the benchmarks, the Sony Xperia XZ2 will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and will be accompanied by as much as 4GB of RAM. It also appears to pack an 18:9 display ratio with a 2160×1080 resolution, which seems to have potentially dispelled the rumors of a 4K display. It also looks like it will run on Android 8.0 Oreo.

That being said, we should point out that the phone being benchmarked does not mention the Xperia XZ2 specifically, but rather it has the model number Sony H8266. However given that the phone in question will be powered by the Snapdragon 845, it also means that it will be a flagship device which sounds like it could be the Xperia XZ2.

In any case Sony will probably have more details to share at MWC 2018, so remember to check back with us in the coming weeks to find out more.

Developers looking to sell apps for iOS devices typically go through the iTunes App Store, in which Apple will then take a cut of whatever money developers make from selling the app. This too applies to in-app purchases and subscriptions, which can be a tough pill for some to follow, leading to some encouraging users to signup outside of the iTunes App Store.

Such was the case with Facebook who will now be allowing users to start subscribing for content behind paywalls through its iOS app. This was revealed during the Code Media event (via AppleInsider) in which Facebook executive Campbell Brown said that the dispute between Facebook and Apple had been resolved.

For those unfamiliar, both companies were in dispute over the fees that Apple was charging for in-app purchases and subscriptions. However with this dispute ended, the tool will now be open to publishers that will allow users to subscribe to content, a tool which was previously available on Android devices for a while now.

iOS users should be able to expect the feature to be available for their devices coming this March. Like we said, Apple typically takes a 30% cut from in-app subscriptions, but the company did announce some changes in the past which would reduce their cut if developers could ensure that subscribers were to stick around for at least a year.

So what about those who paid? The good news is that according to Android Police, Amazon will be refunding customers who paid for ad removal. For those unfamiliar, customers who bought Prime Exclusive phones had the option of paying $45 to remove ads from the phone, so as you can imagine Amazon’s recent announcement has probably irked many who paid for the feature.

According to the email that Amazon has been sending customers, Amazon will be refunding customers who paid for the ad removal through the form of an Amazon.com Gift Card. This gift card will be credited to the user’s Amazon account in the next 2-3 days, so do keep an eye out for it if you are one of those who paid and have received the email.

Obviously the gift card means that you can only use it on Amazon purchases, but considering the retailer’s wide selection, presumably you shouldn’t have any issues finding something to buy.